In the center of Konoha, inside a small house
Ding-dong.
Hearing the chime, Tōshirō stepped forward and opened the door. Standing outside was a blond-haired boy.
"Godfather, you called for me?"
Tōshirō smiled, leading Naruto to the sofa and patting the cushion beside him, motioning for him to sit.
Naruto obediently took a seat.
Tōshirō asked gently, "Have the villagers or your classmates been giving you any trouble lately?"
Naruto shook his head. "No. Ever since they found out I'm the Fourth Hokage's son, everyone's been treating me kindly… almost like they feel guilty."
Tōshirō nodded slightly. "That's good to hear. Today, I have a gift for you."
Naruto's eyes brightened. "A gift? Is it a new ninjutsu?"
Tōshirō smiled mysteriously. "No… this one's a very special gift."
"Special?" Naruto asked, even more curious now.
"Yes. But before that, we need to have a little talk."
"A talk?" Naruto tilted his head in confusion—when suddenly, a pair of scarlet eyes met his. His gaze unfocused as his mind slipped away.
Inside the Spirit World
Within the massive cage, the enormous orange fox glared down at the unexpected intruder with undisguised hatred. "You again…"
Tōshirō, unfazed by the Nine-Tails' murderous stare, shrugged casually. "Relax. I'm not here to fight. I just want to discuss something."
The Nine-Tails snorted, unimpressed. "Hmph. I've got nothing to say to you."
Tōshirō continued as though he hadn't been interrupted. "I want you to stop interfering with Naruto's chakra."
The Nine-Tails gave a mocking snort, its expression saying clearly, Who do you think you are to order me around?
Tōshirō smiled faintly. "I'll give you a reason you can't refuse."
"How arrogant," the fox growled.
"If I'm not mistaken," Tōshirō said smoothly, "you're incomplete, aren't you?"
The Nine-Tails' eyes widened. "What did you just say?"
"I can help you recover your missing half. Not only that, I can undo the seal binding you here—and ensure no one ever tries to control you again. Of course, your true freedom would come only after Naruto's natural death."
The Nine-Tails froze in disbelief.
Tōshirō chuckled. "What's wrong? Is my offer too generous to process?"
"…"
"Even if you don't trust me," Tōshirō added calmly, "you should trust Gobi."
"Gobi?"
"The Five-Tails. King Mu."
"That guy?"
"When he agreed to help me, it was partly because I promised to free all of the Tailed Beasts someday."
"Hmph. Meddlesome fool," the Nine-Tails muttered.
"So," Tōshirō said lightly, "what do you say? My offer's quite generous, and you hardly need to lift a claw."
The fox pondered for a moment, then grumbled, "Fine. I agree."
It wasn't pleased about being manipulated—but as Tōshirō had said, the offer was too good to refuse.
Tōshirō stepped closer and effortlessly dispelled the Four Symbols Seal placed on Naruto.
The Nine-Tails still felt as though it were dreaming. It stepped outside the cage and stared at the human in disbelief. "Aren't you afraid I'll—"
"Afraid? Of course," Tōshirō said simply.
"Then why—"
"I'm not afraid of you escaping from Naruto," Tōshirō said, meeting the fox's eyes. "I'm afraid of never being able to trust you again."
The Nine-Tails blinked, confused. "What do you mean?"
"With my power, I could control you easily," Tōshirō replied calmly. "If I had to, I could just seal you back inside. But once I did that… I'd never trust you again."
The fox gave a low growl. "You're insufferable… but oddly, I don't hate you."
Tōshirō smirked. "Good. Then wait here a bit—I'll bring back your other half."
"Wait—what did you—"
Before the fox could finish, Tōshirō vanished from the spirit world, leaving the stunned Nine-Tails blinking in disbelief.
Back in the physical world, Tōshirō turned to the blond man beside him. "It's done. The Nine-Tails and I have an understanding."
"Isn't that a little reckless?" Minato asked, frowning with concern.
"Relax. With my Sharingan, even if it betrays me, I can suppress it instantly." Tōshirō's Mangekyō Sharingan spun faintly as he spoke, radiating confidence.
"…Alright then."
Minato crouched beside his sleeping son, pressing a glowing hand to Naruto's stomach. Slowly, he drew out half of the fox's chakra from within himself and transferred it into Naruto's body.
After a moment, Minato removed his hand.
Tōshirō asked, "That's all it takes?"
"Yes," Minato replied.
"Good." Tōshirō raised his fingers into a seal. "Then I'll release the genjutsu. Time for your family reunion."
Both Minato and Kushina's hearts pounded. They had died the day Naruto was born—meeting him again now filled them with both joy and nervousness.
Tōshirō dispelled the illusion. Naruto slowly stirred, hearing faint, unfamiliar voices calling his name—yet somehow, they felt warm and familiar.
He blinked, eyes fluttering open to see three faces—two men and one woman. One was his godfather, Tōshirō. The other two were strangers.
"Huh? Where am I—"
Before he could finish, the blond man and red-haired woman threw their arms around him, tears streaming down their faces as they called his name again and again.
Tōshirō smiled. "Naruto, these two are your parents. Take your time getting to know them."
Naruto froze in disbelief. "My… parents?"
Tōshirō explained briefly, then quietly left, giving the reunited family privacy.
From the shadows, Orochimaru emerged, falling into step beside Tōshirō. "You're quite the sentimental one, arranging such a touching scene."
Tōshirō gave a wry smile. "I'm no saint. Being too good just ties you down."
Orochimaru's golden eyes gleamed. "Now that this is done, are we heading to Kusagakure next?"
"Of course."
"Hmm… you do realize the Dragon Life Reincarnation Technique requires the user to sacrifice themselves, right? You think he'll agree to that?"
Tōshirō smirked darkly. "If he doesn't… I'll make him."
Orochimaru chuckled. "You're as domineering as ever."
"I told you—I'm not a good man."
As they spoke, a familiar voice called out behind them.
"Lord Hokage! Where did you disappear to again? You still have documents to sign!"
It was Tōshirō's secretary, Izumi, running toward them with a stack of papers.
Tōshirō waved lazily. "Just sign them for me."
"That's not allowed!" she protested, puffing up her cheeks.
Tōshirō chuckled. "Then go have tea with Itachi again and wait till I get back."
"Wait—again?" Izumi froze. "Lord Hokage, where are you even going this time?"
Honestly, she'd never met a Hokage who spent less time in the office. She was handling so much paperwork that she practically was the Hokage now.
Tōshirō brushed her off. "It's settled."
Before Izumi could argue, he leapt into the air. Behind him, a colossal blue spectral figure—the Spirit Flame—manifested, catching him in its enormous palm. Orochimaru followed, landing beside him.
The Spirit Flame spread its massive wings and shot skyward, winds whipping through the village below. Izumi's hair was tossed wildly as she shielded her face from the gust.
The people of Konoha stared upward in awe.
"Look! What is that thing!?"
Most didn't recognize it—but Nara Shikaku did instantly.
The Spirit Flame…? It can fly now!?
He felt his stomach drop. "Oh no…"
The Spirit Flame was Tōshirō's ocular technique—meaning if it was in the air, so was he.
Shikaku prayed silently. Please, let him not cause another disaster…
After overthrowing the Daimyō and declaring himself ruler, no one knew what kind of ripple effects Tōshirō's actions might bring. The smart move now would be to stabilize the situation—not stir up more chaos.
But knowing Tōshirō… that seemed unlikely.
End of Chapter)
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